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St. Anthony receives heart association award

Posted
Tuesday, July 31, 2018 10:01 am

Staff report

St. Anthony Hospital has received the 2018 Mission: Lifeline Gold Receiving Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association.

The hospital is the only medical center in the state to receive the award, which highlights the hospital’s performance in treating patients with a ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) heart attack, the most life-threatening type of cardiac event and a leading cause of death among heart patients in the United States, according to a news release from St. Anthony Hospital.

St. Anthony Hospital earned the award by meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for quick and appropriate treatment through emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries in heart attack patients coming into the hospital directly or by transfer from another facility.

This achievement recognizes medical centers that are successful in meeting and exceeding guideline therapy recommendations for treating such patients.

“When it comes to treating cardiac emergencies, heart disease, and cardiac conditions, St. Anthony Hospital is the medical center of choice for more than 600 cardiac patients per year,” Peter Powers, chief executive officer at St. Anthony Hospital, said in the news release. “Individuals know that when faced with a cardiac condition or emergency, St. Anthony Hospital offers a robust cardiovascular care program and has proven successful in not only meeting, but exceeding national quality standards and providing the best chances for recovery.”

Every year, more than 250,000 individuals experience a STEMI, which is caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart and requires timely treatment, the release said. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication. Research suggests that if the vessel is opened within the first few hours of the blockage, the patient will have a better chance of survival and less muscle damage.

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program is geared to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning with the emergency call, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. The initiative provides tools, training and other resources to support heart attack care following protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines.